Air tread sole



- JOSEPH C. GUSTAVESON,

Patented Apr.' s, 1932 UNITED STATES OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .ASSIGNOB TO BESSA E. MADDEN, OF

` NEW YORK, N. Y.

PATENT OFFICE.

.AIR TREAD SOLE Application led February 6, 1929, Serial No. 337,962. Renewed August 22,'1931.

rIhis invention relates to an improved air tread sole for shoes, and has for an object to provide a construction which may be permanently mounted in a shoe and positioned to function so that the shoe will be eiciently ventilated throughout.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air tread sole for shoes formed with means actuated by the foot for positively circulating air throughout the shoe during the walking operation.

A further object, more4 specifically, is to provide an air tread sole for shoes, wherein a pair of flexible and resilient members are arranged in the shoe and formed with grooves and coacting beads for drawing in air at one end of the shoe and forcing the same out at another point. A

In the accompanying drawings,-v

Figure 1 is a bottom View slightly in per spective showing the upper part of an air tread sole embodying certain features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of an air tread sole embodying certain features of the invention;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through a shoe disclosing an embodiment of the invention applied thereto; Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the forward part of a shoe and device embodying the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 indicates the bottom of the sole of a shoe, and 2 the upper. These members may be of any usual or desired struc'- ture. The invention really consists in providing an air tread sole having a bottom tread member 3 and a top tread member 4.

The bottom tread member 3 may be made of any exible resilient material but is preferably made from rubber and is formed with a number of longitudinal extending grooves.

5 extending from near the heel to near the toe, asvshown in Figure 2. At the heel portion of the member 3 a groove 6 is provided, said groove extending to near the arched portion of the member 3 and atthat part merging into suitable grooves 6. The radial grooves 7 are arranged at the heel part and are positioned to merge into groove 6. The grooves 5 at one end merge into groove 6 and at the opposite end into groove 8 which is spaced from the edge but conforms to the shape of the front part of member number of auxiliary grooves 9 are arranged at the front, as shown in Figure 2. The top tread member 4 is provided with a number of projections or beads 10 shaped and positioned to fit into the various grooves 5, as shown in Figure 3, The other grooves are left open or vacant, but the upper tread member 4 is provided with a number of apertures discharging -or opening into the various grooves 8 and 9. Preferably the lower tread member 3 is of one piece of rubber, while the upper tread member 4 is preferably formed with a rubber portion 12 having integral beads 10 and an upper or outside portion 15 of leather cemented or otherwise secured to portion 12. If desired, the device could. be placed loosely in the shoe, but preferably it is stitched therein by suitable stitching 14,` as shown in Figure 3. In this way it is held permanently and properly in place at all times and has the usual appearance of the in. terior surface of a shoe sole except for the apertures 11. When the device is in use air is drawn into the shoe around the heel, as the heel is elevated during the walking operation. 'This air finds its way into the grooves 6 and 7 and into the rear part of grooves 5. The air passes through the various radiallyextending grooves 6 and 7. When the heel is forced downwardly as the person walks the pressure thereof will depress the rear part of the upper sole member 4, and consequently, collapse somewhat member 3, while causing the beads 10 to move down to the bottom of their various grooves and in this way squeeze or force the air from bottom members 3 and 4at therear part of the device. This results in the air being., forced through the grooves 5 tothe front'of the shoe where the air is distributed by groove 8 and is eventually forced through the apertures 11 so as to ventilate the 'top and front part of the foot. As the air moves upwardly around the front part of the foot it gradually finds its way backwardly and eventually out between the lacings of the shoe or out through the front part around the ankle. Each time the heel is raised or lowered this action takes place. Consequently, air is drawn in, forced to the front and then forced out through the aperatures .l1 to a position around the foot. It will .be understood, o course, that only a small volume of air is taken care of at one time, but the continuous movement during ordinary walking will provide a sufficient circulation of air to secure the desired result.

l. An air tread sole for shoes, comprising a lower tread member having longitudinallypositioned grooves, an upper tread member formed with longitudinally-positioned beads superimposed on the lower tread member so that the said beads will lit into said grooves, and means for securing the tread members together along their outer edges, whereby the central portions are loose in respect to each other, said central portions being yieldable under the action of the foot when walking, whereby air is adapted to be drawn in at one end of the shoe when the pressure of the foot is removed from the upper tread member and expelled at the opposite end when the pressure of the foot is applied to said upper tread member.

2. An air tread sole for shoes, comprising an upper tread member and a lower tread member, said lower tread member having grooves extending longitudinally thereof, a

' connect-ing groove at each end merging into the longitudinal grooves, a plurality of auxiliary grooves at the top portion of the lower tread member arranged between said longitudinal grooves, said upper tread member having apertures opposite said auxiliary grooves and radial grooves merging into the arc-shaped groove at the heel portion of said lower tread member said upper tread member having flexible beads positioned to t snugly into said longitudinal grooves when pressure is brought to bear on the upper tread member during the use of the shoe for causing air to move from the heel portion of the shoe to the toe portion.

3. An air tread sole, comprising a pair of superimposed members, the lower member having in `its upper face a plurality of grooves extending from near the rear to near the front, said grooves at the rear opening to the outer edge, and a top tread member conforming in general shape to the lower tread member, said top tread member being formed with a plurality of apertures adjacent the front and with depending beads fitting into certain of said grooves, whereby the shifting of pressure on the upper tread member during the walking operation will cause a flow of air to pass through said grooves and safid apertures for producing a Ventilating e ect.

4t. In a ventilated shoe, an inner sole consisting of two parts forming a bottom tread member and atop tread member, one of said parts having substantially equally spaced grooves formed in one of its faces extending longitudinally from near one end to near the opposite end and diverging at the front end and the other having beads formed on one of its faces, said beads being formed and positioned to match said grooves whereby air will be intermittently forced longitudinally of the shoe during the use thereof, and means for holding said parts in assembled position.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 5th day of February, A. D. 1929.

JOSEPH C. GUSTAVESON. 

